Sheet-feeding device



` Jly 1351926.A

1,592,635 A. KLUGE ET AL July 13, 192e. 1,592,635

` A. KLUGE ET AL SHEET FEEDING DEVI CE Filed May '2, 1923 4 sheets-sheet 2 abel fluye lneval Kluge July 13 1926. n

`A.KLUGE TAL SHEET FEEDING DEVICE 4 SheetsShet Filed May 7, 1923 A. l l

5 @u w57. L/m Lv ee bn @E July 13-, 1926. 1,592,635

A. KLUGE ET AL i SHEET FEEDING DEVICE I 'Filed May vv, 192s v 4`sheets-sneet 4 Livr-mrs bel g "l'levaZ Kluge 'Patented July 1.3, i532 y.

iUN-Irfieo :STATES -ABEL lKIJUGE Ann nnnvAL 'Klauen-'on BRANDTJENIAND Krisen, rn'o.,or

MINNESOTA.

snnnT-rnnnrne nnvron.

Application' fied May 7,

Our invention relatesY to iinp'roveinentsin sheet feeding devices, ot the ohar'eoter illus trated and described in our `eO-pending ap plioation for Letters Patent of the `United States for pneuniatio feeding devices tot printingfpresses, i'iled July 19, V1919, Serial Number 3i ,992, noW matured into rPatent No. 1,472,656 of October 30,1923. n

'Our eii'orts -tonie'etlthe growing need for dependable autom-atie sheet hfeeders, especially for printing 'presse-s, haveled'to the development ot the vrpresent invention, an objeotthereo being to embody/in devices ot this nature those needed iinproveinents bringing about-low oost oi' nianuteotureyao Gurney, dependability and longevity in use and, particularly,lease of adjustment to etteot desired end uniformly true operations.

Another object of this vinvention is to provide in pneumatic sheet handling ineohenisn'i,l siniple and eiieotive suotion interruptingineens capable ot' ready adjustnie'ntito attain precise Qontrol over'tlie handling of sheets of various `sto'ohsvat different speeds.

A. further objeot is to supply suotionoontroliing Ineens 'for-pneumatic sheet handling deviees,i`the saine permitting oi the positive tal-zingoi2 sheets'of different. stocks vand the uniformly accurate deiivery thereof at se ietted positions, during various speeds and with suction creating ineens of relatively sinnll Capacity.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, which Willvappeer in thefolloiving desoription, `the invention resides in the novel combination and arrangement oi parte and in the detailsfoconstruetion `hereinafter described and Claimed. i

In the drawings, klifg. l iiiustrates e `job press,in elevation,-and av 'device for feeding sheets app'iied thereto and embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is perspective View, in detail, illustratinge portion o't-said device; Fig. '3 is a detailview showing, in plan, the structure illustrated in Fig. 3'; i is a vertical, central sectionalview taken vas on the :line 4 4 of Fig. 3; F 5 is a simile-r 'view 4taken as on the line 5-5' of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a transverse seetionalview, taken on the line 6-`6 (if-F 4:; Figs 7 land 8 are vertical sectional views'telren 4es `ontlie line of 'Fig. .3 and showing different posi@ tions ofthe vulve -aotuating mechanism.

Referring to the accompanyingdrawings,

192s. semi No. 637,139.

it `will eeen-that atubularstandard 10, scoured .in brackets ll and l2 on the side of a press A, oarri'es an elevated head piece B,

.consisting of Va bearing V13 and a tubular housingll integre-.1157 and at rightangies with respect to 'each other. The loiverl'end or the housing 14- is fitted over the upper end of .the standard 10. Said housing 14;v

oiiset entension 2O at its inner end. A borey 2l reaohingthrough `the vbushing 18 and throughsaid extension 2O :andenlargen'ient 19,'reeeives a rocloshaft. A'roeler arni 23 keyed on the outer endet the rrook-shaft '22 end operated through a' rodk 24 turns :the shaft 22 and osoilletes a feeder Iarin Qsecured to the inner end of VVsaid shaft. A- oonneetingrod 26 ett-eched Vto the dise lQfis'operated 'like the rod intiine -Withftheinress i are through suitebie means such as'that disclosed in our co-pending application hereinbefore referred to. ilhile the `rocking of the bushing 18 bythe rod 26 ceusesthefectension and retraotionof the feeder urin 25, es particularly 'set out rin said ori-pending pplication, the prirne iii-.notion of such movement in so TAI'ar this application is concerned, resides inthe attendent rocking of the diso'l) upon which isinoun'ted xa'lateh tripfpin 27 to vbe niore fully hereinafter en plained. f y l rihe feeder erin 25-is hollow through the greater :part of its reaoh and Carries a suetiongrip 28st the free endtherjeo. A tube 29 connects said suction grip 28`With fthe hollow feeder erin 25, and said aan is oonneeted through 'a iiexible tube 30 with the housing i4. Said-housing, in turn5 oonnnunieatesw'vith the bore ofthe standard10,'Whioh communicates WithV a suction puin (not shown) or other nir exhausting means t rough e tube 3l and vaouuin relief litting C joining said tube With said standard. Dual valve nieohanisin is supplied to obstruct and Clear` the passageway or conduit between the pump fil) CII

and suction grip 28 so that in the rapid oscillation of the feeder arm 25, sheets will be firmly grasped at receiving position, taken from the magazine 32 without slippage on the grip and uniformly released at various selected points in the sweep of the arm 25, whereby desired ultimate positions of rest of said sheets on the press platen are accurately attained. A valve cage (Figs. 4 and 5) comprising a cylindrical body 33, -fornied with a head 34 and having a detachable cap 35 on said head, is applied to the housing 14, the body 33 being snugly fitted in the upper end of said housing and secured in place by means of anchoring screws 3G reaching through the head 34 and threaded in the wall of the housing. A central bor 37, extending upward from the bottom of the body 33, terminates short of the head 34. A ball valve 38 guided in said bore 37 has a seat 39 in an apertured plug 40 fitted in the upper end of the standard 10. An expansion spring 41 in the bore 37, supplementing the action of gravity and suction, yieldingly seats said ball valve 38. A valve lifter D includes a stem 42 journaled vertically in the body 33 of the valve cage, and a trip arm 43 formed by bending the lower end of said stem into horizontal relation and beveline the same to supply a ball lifting surface 44. A segment in the wall of the body 33 is cut away as at 45 to permit lof the swinging` of said arm 43 andl by-passes 4G are machined in said body 33 in communication with the bore to lend ample capacity to the passageway around the ball Lvalve 38 above its seat 39. A port 47 in the body 33 registers with the open end of a nipple 48 threaded in the housing 14 and to which the tube 30 to the feeder arm 25 is connected. A duct 48 leading upward from the bore 37 in the body opens to the outer air at the top of the head A seat 49 is formed at the mouth of this duct for a second ball valve 50 guided in the cap 35 and yieldingly seated by means of an expansion spring 51 confined in said cap. In addition to the stem 42, the valve lifter D includes a lever (Z secured between its inner and outer arms 53 and 54 to the upper portion of said stem 42. A screw 55 threaded horizontally through the inner arm 53 of the lever d has a notched inger piece 56 thereon, which is yielding-ly held against rotation by means of a bar spring 5T secured to a lug 58 on the arm 54 of the lever (l. This screw 55 is arranged so that the pointed end 55 thereof will pass through an opening 35l in the cap 35 and lift the ball valve 50 upon the swinging of the lever CZ. A latch bar 59 pivoted on the bearing 13 is yieldingly depressed against a stop surface 59a on said bearing by means of an expansion spring GO encircling a guide screw G1 and interposed between the head 51a of said screw and the upper side of said bar 59. The forward tip of the bar 59 supplies an abutment 62 to hold the lever l in one position (Figs. 3 and 8) against the action of a tension spring G3, and a lug 64 underneath said bar provides a stop for limiting the retraction of said lever by the action of said spring 63 (Figs. 2 and 7). An arm 65 swung on the shaft 22 between the rockerarm 23 and disc 19 is formed with a cam 66 at its free end to engage the rearwardly turned lug 54'L on the outer arm 54 of the lever Z and swing said lever. A link G7 joining the rocker-arm 23 and arm 65 is pivoted at one end to the former and supplied with a slot 68 at the other end thereof. A binding screw 69, threaded in a boss 70 on the arm 65, reaches through said slot 68 and binds the link GT against said boss 70. The slot 68 permits of various angular adjustments of the arm 65 with respect to the rocker-arm 23, whereby the lever cl will be engaged and swung by the cam 66, earlier or later, through greater or less distances in the latter` part of the feeding sweep of the feeder arm 25.

The swinging of the lever LZ by the cam 6G to position (Figs. 3 and 8) permitting of the depression of 'the latch bar 59 results in the seating of the lower ball valve 38. The upper ball valve 50 unseated simultaneously with the seating of said lower ball valve 38, or before, or after, according to the. adjustment of the screw The seating of the lower ball valve 38 seals the upper end of the standard 10, which serves as an exhaustion chamber during the completion of the deliver" ig swing of the feeder arm 25 and the return thereof to sheet receiving position. The unseating of the upper ball valve 50, admit-s outer air to the suction passageway, the effect thereof, with or after the seating of the lower ball valve 38, resulting in the destruction of the vacuum between the gri 28 and said valve 38 and the consequent more or less delayed releasing of a sheet by said grips. Unseating the upper ball valve 50 prior to the seating of the lower ball valve 38 reduces the vacuum at the grip 28 and prepares for the substantially instant release of a sheet therefrom when suction is ultimately cut off by the seating of said lower ball valvey 38. Operating to obstruct the bore of the standard 10, during the return swing of the feeder arm 25 and duringl varied limited times therebefore, the lower ball valve 38 is unseated as the feeder arm 25 reaches sheet. receiving position. This unseating of said lower ball valve 38 is caused by the action of the spring 63 on the lever CZ following the elevation of the latch-bar 59 (Figs. 2 and 7) by the trip-pin 2T on the disc 19. W'hen the screw 55 is set to unseat the upper ball valve 50 simultaneously with or before the seating of the lower ball valve 38, said upper tdi) In Fig. '7, the dotted line 25 illustrates diagrammatically the posit-ion of the feedery arm 25 at the time of the taking of a sheet from` the magazineBQ. .lustl prior to the elevation of said arm 25 into this position, the trip-pin 27 on the disc 19 lifts the latch bar 59, thus restoring suction at the mouth ofthegrip 28. This time for the resumptionv ofl suction at the grip 28 is fixed, but' the time for discontinuing suction at said grip for releasing sheets on the platen varies in ther sheet carrying swing of the feeder arm lfto accord with selected printing positions, the nature of the stock enip'loyed and the speed ofthe press. in Fig. 8, the dottedline 25a shows the feeder arm 25 in foremost sheet delivering position. If this oranother position at the rear thereof is desired for the releasing point of sheets,

the. arm 65 is fixed so that the cani 66 there-y onwill swing the lever l and cause the lat'cliingof the arm 54k byY thebar 59 at the selected position. In other words, the arn'i 65y is set so thatthe lower valve 38 will seatat the selected position of the feeder arm 25 for the releasing of sheets. `This initial or rough adjustment, obtained by setting the arm'G, is made while the feeder is at rest, the finer, second adjustment being made after the feeder is put into operation. This second adjustment consists in turning the screw in or out and thereby varying the unseating of the upper valve 50 with respect to' the seating of the'lower valve 38,

Vthe effect of which can be observed as the sheets are being fed. l

A piston C71 inthe bore of the standard l0 closes said boiebeneath the point of connection therewith ofthe suction tubel. This piston" renders inoperative the' self-tripping throwofiI mechanism of the press, when a sheetis grasped by the grip 28.:

Changes. in the specific. form ofV our invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the'spirit of'our invention'.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a printing press, of a hollow suotion'standard mounted on said press, a bearing, a housing'on the bearing communicating with said standard and securing` said bearing thereon, a rock-shaft ing position of the grip mounted in the bea-ring, a feeder arm on said rock-shaft, a pneumatic grip v carried by the arm from sheet `receiving through discharging positions and back, a conduit bringing the grip into communication with the housing, said conduit, housing and stand' ard constituting a suction passageway to the grip, valve mechanism in said housing including two self-closing valve members, one adapted to obstruct and clear the passageway in the standardand the* other adapted to adinit'and bar entrance of air to the housing,v a lever, means associated with said' lever for opening and permitting the closing of said first valve inember,'ineans also associated with said lever for opening and permitting the closing ofV said secondl valve member, said latter means being ad- ]ustable tofvary the opening of said second vali'feineinbcr, the opening of said valve members' being `alternately "accomplished upon reverse' swings of said lever, an ad gustable cani operated by the rock-shaft for engaging and swinging said lever to permitthe closing of the first valve member and to cause the opening of the. second valve member atvarious sheet discharging positions ofthe grip, a spring anchored to the bearing for retracting said lever, a latch 'mounted on the bearing to secure the lever n against retraction by said spring and means for tripping said latch to cause the opening of the first valve ineinbei and the closing of the second valve member at sheet receiv- 2.- The combination with a printing press, of a bearing, a rock-shaft mounted in the bearing, a'feeder arm on said rock-shaft, a

pneumatic grip carried back and forth by the arm between sheet receiving and discharging positions, a suction conduit comfin'unicating with said grip, valve mechanism incorporated in said conduit and.-includiiig two self-closing valve lmembers, one adapted to obstruct and clear the Vconduit and the second adapted to admit and bar entrance of air thereto at a point between the first valve member and grip, a lever, means associated with saidV lever for opening and permitting the closing of said [irst valve member, means also associated with said lever for opening and permitting the clos` ing of Vsaid second valve member, the opening of saidvalve members being alternately accomplishedv upon reverse swings of said lever, an arm onthe i'oclrshaft for engaging and swinging said lever to permit the closing of the iirst valve member and to cause the opening of the second valve inember at sheet discharging position of the grip, a spring for retracting said lever, a latch to secure the lever against retraction by said spring and means for tripping said latch to free said lever, whereby the first valve member is opened and the second lil() valve member is permitted to close at sheet receiving position of the grip.

In a sheet feeding` device, a pneumatic grip, means for carrying the same back and forth between sheet receiving and discharging posit-ions, a suction conduit communicating with the grip, valve mechanism mcorporated in said conduit and including two yieldingly seated ball valve members, one adapted to obstruct and clear the conduit and the second adapted to admit and bar entrance of air thereto at a point between said first valve member and grip, a l ver, means actuated by said lever for unseating and permitting` the seating of said first valve member, means also actuated by said lever for unseating and permittingthe seating of said second valve member, means, timed to accord with the movement of the grip, for engaging and swinging said lever, in one direction, to permit 'the seating` of the first valve member and to unseat the second valve member at sheet discharging` position of the grip, and means for returning said lever to starting position to unseat the first valve member and permit the seating of the second valve member at sheet receiving p0- sition of the grip.

4. In a dev'ce of the class described, the combination with suction producing means, of a pneumatic grip, means to carry said grip from sheet receiving through various sheet discharging positions and back, a conduit affording con'ununication between said suction producing means and grip said conduit including an enlarged pressure reduction chamber, a valve member for obstructing the conduit between the chamber and grip to cut off suction in the grip, during the latter part of its sheet carrying throw, and to confine the reduction of pressure to the chamber during the return of the grip to sheet receiving position, said valve member being adapted to clear the conduit at said latter position, and a second valve for admitting air to the conduit between the first valve member and grip at said latter part of said throw of the grip and for interrupting the admission of air to said conduit at sheet receiving position of said grip.

5. In a sheet feeding device, a pneumatic grip movable between sheet receiving and discharging positions, a suction conduit communicating with said grip, a valve member for obstructing and clearing said conduit, a second valve member for opening and closing said conduit to the atmosphere at a point between the grip and said first valve member, an actuating element, means associated with said element for operating said first valve member, means also associated with said element for operating said second valve member, said last mentioned means being adjustable to vary the operation of said second valve member with respect to the first valve member and means for operating said actuating element, said means being adjustable to operate said element at various positions of said grip.

G. ln a device of the class described, a movable suction grip, a suction conduit communicating with said grip, adjustable means for obstructing said conduit to cut off suction alterably from the grip, adjustable means for admitting air to the conduit at a point between the obstruction and said grip, said second adjustable means being capable of alterable timing with respect to said first mentioned means to variably supplement the variable sheet freeing effect thereof.

'i'. In a sheet feeding device, a pneumaticA grip movable between sheet receiving and discharging positions, a suction conduit communicating with said grip, a valve mechanism for obstructing and clearing said conduit, a second valve mechanism for opening and closing said conduit to the atmosphere at a point between the grip and said first valve mechanism, an actuator lever common to the two mechanisms and means for swinging said lever, said means being adjustable to operate the lever at different positions of saidl grip.

S. In a device of the class described, a pneumatic grip, means for moving said grip from sheet receiving position through sheet discharging positions and back, a suction conduit communicating with said grip, a

valve in the conduit for obstructing and clearing the same, adjustable means for actuating said valve said conduit having a duct open to the atmosphere at a point between said valve and grip, a second valve for obstructing and clearing said duc-t and adjustable means independent of said first adjustable means for actuating said second valve.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

ABEL KLUGE. ENEVAL KLUGE. 

